The High Court of Justice yesterday issued an interim injunction against the so-called Police Law, which subordinated the police to the National Security Ministry. The government has 90 days to respond as to why the law should not be canceled.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG) said in response that this means the court is close to striking down the law through judicial review. “The High Court today issued an interim order blocking the blatant attempt to turn the Israel Police into a dictatorial political arm,” said MQG.
The Police Law “is making its way to the dustbin of history. We will do the same with the rest of the regime coup laws that the government is planning. We will continue to fight on all fronts to keep Israel free and democratic.”
The court ruling came in response to petitions by MQG, Labor Party members, Yesh Atid members, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and the Arab Higher Monitoring Committee, arguing that the Police Law politicized law enforcement by allowing the national security minister to set guidelines and policy for the Israel Police.
Arguments against the law
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir at the annual Jerusalem Conference of the 'Besheva' group in Jerusalem, on February 21, 2023. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)On June 7, the High Court heard arguments against the law, in which it was claimed that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir used the ambiguous framing and wording of the law to issue direct field orders to the police.
Petitioners claimed the control exerted by Ben-Gvir blurred the lines between politics and law enforcement, and confused the chain of command. They said that civil rights, especially those of minorities and political rivals, were in danger from such a law.
Ben-Gvir and his representatives said that they had developed a law to address a gap in the law in which the police were not properly anchored to government bodies in the same way as the IDF and Shin Bet. Ben-Gvir also claimed that the motivation behind attacking the law was personal, because he backed the law and is the minister.
